At 11:12 a.m. Wednesday, Jerrion Ealy sat behind a table in the center of a stage, surrounded by his family, facing almost a dozen cameras and a theater full of students. The star baseball and football player from Jackson Prep looked to his left and pointed at Ricky Black, head football coach at the school.

Black held a football covered in gold glitter paint and golden sequins. A hat tucked inside would soon reveal the five-star running back’s decision. The day before, Black cut an old ball from end to end. He handled the decorating, too.

“Well, you know, coaches don't talk much about sequins and paint, but we put that together yesterday,” Black said. “Most of that came from directions from my wife.”

Jackson Prep's Jerrion Ealy receives a gold-sequin-coved football passed to him by Prep's head coach Rickey Ealy during Signing Day at the school Friday, Feb. 6, 2019. Inside the ball is a cap indicating his choice of university. Shortly thereafter, he put on an Ole Miss cap, topping it off with the Landshark gesture.(Photo11: Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger)

On national television, Black lofted the ball as Ealy stood. Jackson Prep coaches waited nearby, ready to fall on the ball, in case of a fumble or errant throw. Ealy caught the pass clean. He sat down.

“For the next four years,” Ealy said, “I will be attending the University of —” He stood and pulled out a baby blue hat. “Mississippi.”

Ealy tugged the cap over his head and threw up the school’s landshark signal. The crowd roared in approval at the reveal of one of National Signing Day’s most intriguing decisions. However, Ealy’s recruitment does not end with his choice to attend Ole Miss.

An MLB team will select Ealy during the draft this summer, likely in the first round. Ealy, one of four people in history to earn Under Armour All-American honors in baseball and football, will make a decision about professional baseball after the draft. If he declines pro baseball and plays both sports at Ole Miss, his coaches at Jackson Prep believe he will push for playing time immediately.

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Jackson Prep's 5-star running back and two-sport standout Jerrion Ealy makes a Landshark gesture after signing to play for Ole Miss during National Signing Day at the school Friday, Feb. 6, 2019. Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger

Jackson Prep's Jerrion Ealy receives a gold-sequence-coved football passed to him by Prep's head coach Rickey Ealy during Signing Day at the school Friday, Feb. 6, 2019. Inside the ball is a cap indicating his choice of university. Shortly thereafter, he put on an Ole Miss cap, topping it off with the Landshark gesture. Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger

With his signed paperwork to play for Ole Miss on the table before him, a smiling Jerrion Ealy, from left, sits at the table beside his father Howard Ealy and stepmother Tricia Ealy during Sign Day activities at Jackson Prep Friday, Feb. 6, 2019. Barbara Gauntt,/Clarion Ledger

After with Ole Miss, Jerrion Ealy, center, pauses before taking a photo with his grandfather Johnny Fortune, right, as Jackson Prep head football coach Ricky Black gives Ealy his MAIS State Championship ring to wear for the picture. Ealy signed with Ole Miss Friday, Feb. 6, 2019. Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger

Jackson Prep's Peyton Greenwood, from left, signed with the United States Air Force Academy, and Jarrion Ealy and Adam Norsworth signed with Ole Miss during Signing Day at Prep Feb. 6, 2019. Behind them is the Jackson Prep coaching staff. Barbara Gauntt, Clarion Ledger

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Ealy spent more than a year committed to Ole Miss, but he de-committed from the Rebels last month. He didn’t think he wanted to stay within the state. Clemson took the lead on his recruitment, and if signing day occurred three weeks ago, Ealy said he would have picked Clemson.

On Jan. 12, Ealy and his parents visited Clemson. Bad weather struck the area that weekend, and Ealy’s mother worried they would miss their flight home.

“We decided that was too far for me and our family to travel,” Ealy’s mother said.

Clemson remained in the mix but lost its edge when Ealy visited Ole Miss two weeks ago. There, he regained his comfort with Ole Miss. He liked that the coaches treated him as a person, not a recruit.

“It gave me a joyful feeling to know I could stay home and try to bring a national championship to the state of Mississippi,” Ealy said. “I feel like it will be better to bring one here than to go to Clemson and join a program. I don't want to join a program. I want to start something new.”

Jackson Prep's Jerrion Ealy is surrounded by family as he signs with Ole Miss during Signing Day at the school Friday, Feb. 6, 2019.(Photo11: Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger)

Though he took an official visit to Alabama last weekend, Ealy settled on Ole Miss a few days before signing day. He and Black began to plan the golden football, wanting to stand out on live television.

After he announced his decision, Ealy spent half an hour smiling for pictures. The football bounced around the stage, and chatter filled the air. Ealy had made the first decision about his future. More choices will come, but for now, he had found some relief.

“It's over with now,” Ealy said. “I'm a Rebel.”

As he walked out of the theater, a gold, sparkling sequin still rested on his left eyelid.